1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to surgical scalpels having two blades for producing parallel incisions in a tissue and more particularly, to a double-bladed scalpel which may be removably mounted on conventional scalpel handles for producing tissue sections of desired thickness from a tissue specimen. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the double-bladed scalpel is characterized by a pair of scalpel blades which may be shaped in any standard scalpel blade configuration and one disposed in parallel, substantially coplanar relationship with respect to each other and connected to each other by means of a connecting element which is continuous with the upper edge of each blade. The connecting element may be folded such that the cutting margin of each scalpel blade is positioned in parallel, adjacent relationship with respect to the cutting margin of the other scalpel blade. One of the scalpel blades is provided with a handle slot for receiving a conventional blade mount protuberance provided near the end of a conventional scalpel handle to removably mount the double-bladed scalpel on the scalpel handle.
Conventionally, tissue sections are formed from a tissue using a single conventional scalpel or a scalpel characterized by a pair of scalpel blades mounted on a scalpel handle in parallel, adjacent relationship with respect to each other by means of screws and wing nuts. However, use of these scalpels is tedious and time-consuming because the screws and wing nuts must be removed in order to remove the blades from the handle. The double-bladed scalpel of this invention is much more efficient and easier to use than conventional double-bladed scalpels because the disposable, parallel blade unit is shaped from a single plate or blank and can be easily attached or removed from a standard or conventional scalpel handle. Additionally, the distance between the blades may be varied when the blank is bent to cut tissue sections of desired thickness. The thinner tissue sections made possible by the double-bladed scalpel of this invention lend themselves to better fixation and processing than thicker tissue sections typically made by other double-bladed scalpels. Some specific applications which benefit from using thinner tissue sections include cutting cruciate sections for evaluation of surgical resection margins, cutting transmural sections from tubular gastrointestinal organs and other situations in which difficulty arises due to differential tissue movement after a single incision. The double-bladed scalpel of this invention is also safer to use than conventional scalpels because thin cuts can be made in the tissue without requiring the tissue to be held in place by fingers positioned near the cutting blade.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various knives having two blades for cutting parallel incisions or sections in tissues and other materials, are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,754, dated Jul. 1, 1969, to Anna M. Stayer, describes a "Double Scalpel For Removal of Scar Tissue", characterized by a pair of scalpel blades removably mounted on a handle in spaced, adjacent relationship with respect to each other and having an adjusting mechanism for spacing the scalpel blades various distances apart. U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,229, dated Dec. 21, 1976, to Richard T. Barton, discloses a "Surgical Margin Blade" characterized by a double cutting blade having a center vertical blade which slices a margin of tissue around a surgical site. The blade permits the positive establishment of tumor or disease tissue limits by delineating the margin of normal tissue that is free of tumor or diseased tissue. U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,865, dated Apr. 1, 1986, to Jeffrey Keller, details a "Tile-Cutting Device Having Parallel Blades" for forming a rabbet edge on ceiling tile. Two blades are mounted in parallel relationship with respect to each other, one of which is fixed and the other movable with respect to the fixed blade such that it may extend beyond the fixed blade to produce a deeper cut. U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,385, dated Jun. 25, 1991, to Michael J. Schutte, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,391, dated Mar. 31, 1992, also to Michael J. Schutte, et al, both describe a "Double-Bladed Scalpel" for removing tissues requiring consistent width along their length. A pair of identical metal scalpel blades are embedded in an integral rigid supporting handle and protrude outwardly from respective bifurcations of a bifurcated handle end. A contoured finger rest shaped in the handle permits the user to exert substantial cutting pressure on the scalpel blades, such as when scribing of bony tissue is required.
It is an object of this invention to provide a folded double-bladed scalpel for removably mounting on conventional or specially designed scalpel handles to form parallel incisions in tissue or other material.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disposable double-bladed scalpel shaped from a single plate or blank and foldable for removably mounting on conventional scalpel handles to cut tissue sections of desired thickness from a tissue specimen.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a disposable or autoclavable double-bladed scalpel characterized by a first scalpel blade disposed in spaced, parallel, substantially coplanar relationship with respect to a second scalpel blade in a scalpel blank and having an upper margin connected to the upper margin of the second scalpel blade by means of a connecting element which may be folded longitudinally such that the cutting margin of the first scalpel blade is located in parallel, adjacent, selectively spaced relationship with respect to the cutting margin of the second scalpel blade to facilitate cutting tissue sections from a tissue specimen, the thickness of which tissue section is equal to the distance between the cutting margin of the first blade and the cutting margin of the second blade.